Sunday, February 24, 2013

One of my favourite things about cooking is getting the chance to experiment with flavours and develop a new recipe. This is one I've been thinking about for awhile and finally had a chance to put together.

Pillowy raviolis are filled with a sweet and savoury blend of sausage and apple, crunchy toasted pine nuts, finished with creamy chevre cheese, and drizzled with a wine butter sauce.

To get the printable version of this beautiful recipe,please click HERE.

Saute the onion and sausage in the olive oil over medium high heat
until the sausage is cooked through and the onions are soft and slightly
caramelized.

Add the diced apple and continue to saute until the apples begin to soften.

Add the thyme and garlic, continue to stir, and then deglaze the pan
with a half cup of white wine. Bring to the boil, and continue to boil
until the alcohol has cooked off. Stir in the salt and pepper.

Place a layer of paper towels in a colander and drain the sausage mixture, patting the top with more paper towel to remove fat.

Transfer the drained pork mixture to a medium bowl and add the chevre, stirring to incorporate, and the pine nuts.

To Make the Raviolis

Take a wonton wrapper and cut it into four equal squares (as per the video)

Place a teaspoon of the filling onto the middle of the wonton square and brush the edges wiith beaten egg,

Top with another piece of wonton wrapper pressing down the sides tightly.

Place the finished raviolis onto a floured baking sheet and refrigerate until ready to cook or freeze for later.

Boil the raviloi in boiling salted water for 4 minutes.

To Make the Wine Butter Sauce

Saute the shallots in the extra virgin olive oil over medium high
heat until translucent. Add the garlic, stir, and the de-glaze the pan
with the white wine,

Bring to the boil and reduce by half.

When the wine has reduced add the butter and stir until it is a
smooth sauce. Stir in the thyme and spoon over the cooked ravioli.

To serve: Plate the ravioli drizzle with sauce and top with a little Parmesan cheese.

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Things are running smoothly in my little corner of the world and I'm grinning like the Cheshire Cat because I believe I've cracked the code to the most scrumptiously delicious meat loaf, um, ever!

That's right, I said ever.

Perfectly seasoned ground beef is layered with caramelized onions, topped with fluffy mashed potatoes, sliced and drizzled with a mushroom pan gravy that can only be described as Just. That. Fabulous.

If you like what you see, the PRINTABLE RECIPE can be accessed by clicking the link.Ingredients

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

4 medium onions, sliced into thin rings

16 medium potatoes peeled and cubed

1/4 cup chicken stock

1/4 cup milk

1/3 cup butter

1 tsp kosher salt

2 pounds lean ground beef

1 egg

2 tbsp steak seasoning

1 cup diced dill pickle

1 cup sliced mushrooms

2 tbsp butter

3 tbsp flour

2 cups beef stock (I like to use Bovril)

Directions

Saute the onions and olive oil in a non stick pan over medium high
heat until the onions are golden and caramelized. Remove to a medium
bowl. Set aside.

Boil the potatoes in salted water until tender. Drain.

Heat the chicken stock, milk, and butter in a microwave for 40 seconds until warm and pour over the drained potatoes.

Mash until fluffy, add kosher salt to taste.

In a large bowl mix the ground beef, egg, pickles, and steak spice.
Divide the meat mixture into four equal parts and roll into four balls.

Place one ball each into two loaf pans that have been prepared with
cooking spray. Spread the ground beef mixture evenly over the bottom
third of each pan.

Spoon 1/4 of the caramelized onions into each pan, top with another
layer of the ground beef mixture, top with last layer of onions, and
finish with the mashed potatoes, dividing the potatoes in half.

Bake in a 350 oven on baking trays (they might bubble over a little) for an hour and 10 minutes.

In the meantime, saute the mushrooms in a non stick pan that's been
treated with cooking spray. Saute until the mushrooms are golden and
have begun to release their water. Add the butter and the flour to form a
roux and continue to cook and stir for a minute. Add the beef stock,
bring to the boil, and whisk until thickened.

Let the meatloaf rest in the pan for at least 30 minutes before removing and slicing.

Serve with the mushrooms gravy.

The meatloaf can be frozen. To bake from frozen, thaw overnight and bake in a 350 oven for 40 minutes.

Author:

Lyndsay Wells is a professional trainer, writer, and program developer
with a passion for food and cooking. She is an award winning recipe
developer, and a website ambassador for Kraft Foods Canada. Lyndsay
believes cooking should be approachable and easy and has great tips and
ideas for putting together sophisticated looking dishes that cooks of
all levels can accomplish.

Visit her daily on her blog, The Kitchen Witch or on her YouTube Channel, CHARMED With The Kitchen Witch.

Lyndsay Wells is a professional trainer, writer, and program developer
with a passion for food and cooking. She is an award winning recipe
developer, and a website ambassador for Kraft Foods Canada. Lyndsay
believes cooking should be approachable and easy and has great tips and
ideas for putting together sophisticated looking dishes that cooks of
all levels can accomplish.

Visit her daily on her blog, The Kitchen Witch or on her YouTube Channel, CHARMED With The Kitchen Witch.

6 pieces of chicken with skin (I like to do 2 drumsticks, 2 thighs, and 2 breasts)

1, 28 oz tin Italian plum tomatoes

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/2 tsp each: salt, pepper, oregano

2 cloves minced garlic

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 cup sliced white onion

1/2 cup red wine

1 cup sliced pimento stuffed green olives

3 cups dry rotini pasta

Directions

Begin by removing the juice from the tin of Italian tomatoes, reserving the tomatoes to use later.

In a large bowl combine the extra virgin olive oil and fresh lemon
juice with dried oregano, pepper, minced garlic, and sea salt. Add the
tomato juice and whisk until everything is well blended.

Pour the sauce over the chicken pieces in a ziploc bag and marinate at least 3 hours or overnight. The longer the better.

When you're ready to cook, remove the chicken pieces from the bag,
reserving the marinade. Next, heat a tablespoon of extra virgin olive
oil in a dutch oven over medium heat and place the chicken pieces into
the pot skin side down. Continue to gently cook moving the chicken so
that it doesn't stick.

When the chicken has lightly browned on both sides, remove to a
plate and then begin to saute the sliced onions in the pan juices.

When the onions have begun to caramelize, de-glaze the pan with the red wine stirring it well and bring it to a boil.

Place the chicken back into the pot and then pour the reserved
marinade over all. Cover the pot, and place in a 350 degree oven for an
hour and a half.

Remove from the oven and add the sliced green olives, and the
reserved tomatoes from earlier. Return to the oven uncovered for another
30 minutes.

During the last ten minutes of braising, boil three cups of dry rotini pasta just until al dente and drain.

Place a piece or two of chicken onto a platter and ladle half the
sauce over all. Pour the cooked, drained pasta into the remaining sauce
and stir well.

Lyndsay Wells is a professional trainer, writer, and program developer
with a passion for food and cooking. She is an award winning recipe
developer, and a website ambassador for Kraft Foods Canada. Lyndsay
believes cooking should be approachable and easy and has great tips and
ideas for putting together sophisticated looking dishes that cooks of
all levels can accomplish.

Visit her daily on her blog, The Kitchen Witch or on her YouTube Channel, CHARMED With The Kitchen Witch.

Saute the peppers, and onion over medium high heat in the olive oil
until beginning to soften. Add the hash browns, taco seasoning, green
chilis and continue to saute until golden and cooked through.

Add to the cooked sausage, add the salsa and mix everything together well.

Whisk the eggs together and begin to scramble in a non stick pan
treated with cooking spray or oil over medium high heat.. When the eggs
are still somewhat soft, add the sausage and egg mixture and continue to
scramble together. Remove from heat when eggs appear to be almost done
(as per the video)

Place 1/2 cup of the egg mixture onto each burrito and top with cheese.

Roll up each tortilla to make burritos, folding in the ends and
rolling up. Place on parchment paper lined cookie sheets and freeze
until solid. Then wrap individually and package in zip-lock freezer
bags.

When you're ready to eat, unwrap the burritos, wrap loosely in
microwave safe paper towel and heat in the microwave on high power for
1-3 minutes until hot and cheese is melted.

You can also thaw burritos in the refrigerator overnight, then wrap
each in foil and bake at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes until hot. The
thawed burritos can also be deep fried for 3-5 minutes until golden
brown and crisp.

Author:
Lyndsay Wells is a professional trainer, writer, and program developer
with a passion for food and cooking. She is an award winning recipe
developer, and a website ambassador for Kraft Foods Canada. Lyndsay
believes cooking should be approachable and easy and has great tips and
ideas for putting together sophisticated looking dishes that cooks of
all levels can accomplish.

Visit her daily on her blog, The Kitchen Witch or on her YouTube Channel, CHARMED With The Kitchen Witch.

Friday, February 1, 2013

Most of us enjoy something sweet every now and then, but the problem with desserts is that unless you're a very well organized person, getting all that flour and butter and yadda yadda yadda pulled out of the cupboards takes all kinds of energy that, most days, I don't have.

This is why I've grown so fond of the "Snack'n Cake;" and my many original variations on the concept - like today's uber moist, ultra flavourful crumbly, apple cinnamon slab of amazingness - is like Nirvana on a plate.

Add the dry mix to the wet, stir until everything is incorporated, and then add the apple.

Mix all of the crumble topping ingredients together until well
incorporated and then sprinkle evenly over the entire top of the cake.

Pour into a square 8x8x2 cake pan that has been prepared with
parchment paper for easy removal, cover with the crumble mixture, and
bake in a preheated 350 oven for 60 minutes or until a toothpick comes
out clean.

Let rest at least ten minutes before removing from the cake pan. Let cool before slicing.